She admitted downing several vodka and oranges before driving 50 students home from Lions Park Elementary School, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Illinois state's attorney.
A co-worker noticed the smell on her breath at 2:30 p.m., police said, but Burden's supervisor didn't alert police until 3:45 p.m.
A school bus driver who allegedly drove a bus full of students while nearly three times the legal blood alcohol limit has been suspended and charged with aggravated DUI.
Betty Burden, 54, allegedly reeked of booze and had a blood alcohol level of 0.226 when she was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Mount Prospect, prosecutors say.
Burden wasn't arrested until she had completed her route and dropped off all of her young passengers, according to Mount Prospect Police. She failed a series of sobriety tests before failing the blood alcohol test, police said.
"What happened was totally unacceptable," School District 57 Board President Joe Leane said.
Officials are investigating the delay getting Burden off the road, he added.
She has been suspended without pay and faces termination at a meeting next week, according to a school district news release. The release said administrators were "outraged."
Burden had passed previous random drug tests, the release said. Bus drivers are not tested for alcohol.
Judge Joseph Urso ordered Burden, of Mount Prospect, held on $10,000 bond during a hearing at Rolling Meadows courthouse Wednesday morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment